Clinical Nursing in Times of War and a Pandemic

Nurses who served in the Vietnam War and those who cared for patients during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic surge may be separated by decades, but they share the experience of caring for large numbers of critically injured, ill, or dying patients while risking their own lives. This article reviews the findings of two studies, one conducted in 1986 based on interviews with Vietnam War nurses, and one conducted in 2020 based on interviews with nurses during COVID-19, and explores the idea that professional nurses from different generations have similar thoughts when their lives are in danger and patient mortality is high. After removing political, geographic, and generational contexts from the analysis, the authors found that these nurses shared similar experiences, including working despite the risk of death, witnessing mass casualties or a deluge of patient admissions, communicating with patients and families as a priority, and the sustaining power of camaraderie. These wartime and pandemic nurses understood that while their clinical skills were essential, their presence was equally important to people cut off from home, friends, and family. The authors explore the similar experiences of both groups of nurses, using photos and excerpts from their interviews to illustrate how nurses can maintain compassionate care no matter the era or how extreme the circumstances.